This article puts what happened in the proper perspective. I have also raced open wheel cars and sports cars for the last 10 years with Skip Barber and SCCA. Mark’s description of how a sprint car reacts to throttle and steering inputs is right on. You are sliding and drifting these cars to turn. I have been in situations racing in the rain, where it is very hard to see, or because of high humidity,your helmet is so steamed up after you slow down coming in to pit lane it drastically reduces your vision. Mark is correct again, in a yellow flag situation, you as a driver are checking your gauges, making adjustments to the car or your belts, you aren’t expecting a person on the race track to jump out in front of you. Add to that he had a black race suit and helmet on, it is a dirt track and dimly lit. It is a terrible tragedy,yes, but Ward should have never gotten out of the car until they safety crew got there.
They preach that in to you in racing school from day one. Unless there is a fire on board,DON’T get out of the car. It is your protection. My prayers are with Ward’s family and for Tony. This is something he will have to live with for the rest of his life. I agree that the uniformed media and low information voters that don’t have a clue about racing need to lay off Tony at this point.
Just search “Dirt track Deaths” and you’ll find a LOT of them. I know I saw quite a few career ending and fatal accidents on the local tracks over the years. I doubt most people quite grasp the power of a sprint car, Probably among the greatest power to weight ratios you’ll find in motorsports.
I love sprint car racing. Smoke coming off the rear wheels, front tires dangling in the air. Half race, half rodeo.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dWUod7sbp3w